The invention relates to a condenser module according to the preamble part of claim 1 as well as to a dryer according to the preamble part of claim 10.
In a condenser module as known from EP 0 974 793 A the sub-cooler part is a receiver designed as a sub-cooler tube body detachably mounted to the lower side of the condenser casing by a plug connection between an inlet head block at the lower end of a header pipe of the condenser module and a head block of the receiver and by a screw or bracket connection between another head block of the receiver and a lower side member of the condenser casing. The receiver is prefabricated and pre-equipped with its dryer equipment. The receiver has to be connected to the condenser casing after welding or brazing the condenser casing, because the pre-mounted sealings at the head blocks and the confined dryer equipment cannot withstand the high temperatures of the welding or brazing process of the condenser casing.
In a condenser module as known from EP 0 689 014 A, DE 43 19 293 A and DE 44 02 927 A, a sub-cooler section is provided within the condenser casing and in the NOCOLOK-brazed flat tube condenser, said sub-cooler section forming an integrated sub-cooler. A connection line leads from the outlet of the sub-cooler to a dryer located at the side of the condenser casing, said dryer containing the dryer equipment.
In a condenser module as known from EP 0 480 330 a dryer container is directly mounted to the condenser casing by means of a mounting block, said dryer container serving to receive a by-passing partial refrigerant amount. Fluid-tight connections are established by mounting the respective mounting block to the condenser casing. In case that a sub-cooler is needed this will be integrated into the condenser casing.
In a condenser module as known from EP 0 769 666 A the dryer containing the dryer equipment directly is secured at the condenser casing by a mounting block which when mounted simultaneously provides fluid-tight connections. Said dryer may have an oval extruded casing With cooling fins and is mounted separately at one lateral side of the condenser casing . In case that a sub-cooler is provided this is integrated into the condenser casing. The dryer is detachable from the condenser module.
In a condenser known from DE-U-200 04 438 a removable filter cartridge containing a desiccant charge is inserted into a collector tube such that all of the refrigerant has to pass said cartridge. The collector tube is closed by a detachable plug. Said plug is an integrated part of said cartridge.
In a condenser module as known from JP 11 257799 A (Patent Abstracts of Japan, Vol. 1999, No. 14, Dec. 22, 1999) a sub-cooler part is detachably secured to two header pipes of the condenser casing by means of screw connections and co-acting flange structures. The sub-cooler is a pre-fabricated unit, closed at both ends, and pre-equipped with filters and a desiccant charge. The sub-cooler has to be secured to the condenser casing after brazing or welding the condenser casing .
It is a task of the invention to provide a condenser module and a dryer as mentioned above, both allowing a fair cost, compact structure despite a sub-cooler function.
Said task can be achieved with the features of claim a or the features of independent claim 10.
The sub-cooler tube body forms a sub-cooler section of the condenser module outside of the condenser casing. Within the region below the lower side of the compact condenser casing even under narrow mounting conditions sufficient space is provided to mount the separate sub-cooler tube body with customised dimensions for the required sub-cooler capacity. Since the sub-cooler tube body in combination constitutes the collector chamber needed for the sub-cooler function and also has the dryer equipment, no separate dryer has to be provided for the condenser module. This simplifies manufacturing, reduces the manufacturing costs and decrease s the necessary mounting space for the condenser module. The sub-cooler tube body can be prefabricated separately from the condenser casing and can be dimensioned as required. The fluid tight connection between the outside of the condenser casing and the sub-cooler tube body can be established while said one end of said sub-cooler tube body is left open, preferably simultaneously when brazing said condenser casing. With the help of the plug the dryer equipment can be inserted, positioned and sealed to the exterior later.
The dryer in addition to its task to filter the refrigerant and to extract water also provides the function of a sub-cooler section of a condenser module. It is designed in its dimensions not only for the dryer task but also in view to an extreme space saving structural combination of the sub-cooler function with the condenser casing resulting from the coupling tube secured into a lateral bore of said sub-cooler tube body, and from the plug integrated into said dryer equipment which plug removably closes one end of said sub-cooler tube body.
Further preferred embodiments are contained in the depending claims.